For the first time in over a decade the City Council looked closely at city employee wages and found many employees to be making far below a living wage as well as several key employees who have worked faithfully for the City for several decades and have not been properly compensated as their workload has increased over the years. The personnel committee decided action must be taken immediately. Any employee making less than $9.00/hr was given a $1.00/hr raise as well as 5 key employees who were given a raise of $2.00/hr. This was the first of what is hoped to be many in a series of raises as the mayor and finance committee work to relieve the City of the current debt from the lake project bonds.

Dayna and I want to thank the many of you that have called or come by to congratulate us on our purchase of the Holdenville News. Holdenville has been home to the Robinson family for six generations and we love this town. There are so many good things happening still today here in our hometown and we want to share them with you, not only today, but in the many issues to come. Today we will focus on city government, in future issues we will focus on Hughes County government, which is doing some wonderful things as well, and also focus on our Holdenville churches which are the backbone of this community.

Holdenville resident Chris Perteet Jr., 19, was injured in a single vehicle accident Sunday afternoon, August 30. According to a report released by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Perteet was driving a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix when it departed the roadway to the right and struck a culvert, then rolled several times before coming to rest on its wheels two miles east of Arpelar in Pittsburg County at approximately 2:54 p.m.

Calvin and Moss Public Schools are working to provide students with a learning experience that is as traditional as possible while also making certain the students are as safe as possible. Although students have the option of taking virtual classes at home, or a blend of both, Superintendent Travis Graham strongly believes students should attend actual classes if possible, stating it is important they maintain and build their relationships and connections with other students. Of course, any current plans are subject to change schools will follow all guidelines or mandates set forth by the State Department of Education. Graham adds that students that are taking virtual classes at home are still eligible for school meals and can participate in extracurricular activities such as sports.

Good morning to you. Hope you and your families have had a great week. Time is pasting so fast. Can you believe it is September? I used to think it was hard waiting for time to pass but nowadays I certainly wish time would slow down. Do you have trouble keeping up?

The Holdenville Society of Painters and Sculptors (HSPS) is thrilled to announce they will be hosting the 2020 Fall Art Show, although there are some important changes that have been made to allow social distancing and safe practices due to the COVID virus. The Spring Art Show was cancelled due to the pandemic. For the Summer Arts Program, HSPS offered students an Arts Project Box with instructions, and the instructors offered lessons online so the students could still have a positive art experience while remaining at home.